Marker



March1'o,1942. l L SHUGER ETA 2,275,597

MMMM ER im l NMI mmllllll Patented Mar. 10, 1942 MARKER Leroy Shuger, Baltimore, Md., and Gilbert Rodli, Huntingdon, Pa.; sai-d Rodli assignor, by mesne assignments, to Prismo Holding Corporation, a corporation of New York Application May 19, 1939, Serial No. 274,667

(Cl. E34- 1.5)

2 Claims.

tomary to simply paint center lines and lane lines on highways but such lines have'been found to be relatively short-lived; and necessary, very frequent replacement has been relatively costly. Further, the reflecting eiliciency of these lines at night has not been high enough to give satisfactory results.

It has been proposed that glass spheres be incorporated in these painted lines while they were in a moist condition in order to increase the reiiecting efficiency of the lines at night. While such lines have been somewhat better than the linescomprising simply paint, yet the lines incorporating glass spheres have not been very much longer lived for the glass spheres soon become detached from the paint and the line wears away by traiilc as before.

It is an object of the instant invention to provide a marker suitable for use as a center line, lane line, or vertical surface sign which will be relatively strong and long lived and comprise a binding material, auto-collimating units-and a filling material associated with each other in a novel manner.

Other objects and the nature and advantages' Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 taken subsequently at a time when the reectlng lm has dried: and

Figui is a view similar to Fig. 3 taken later in the process illustrating an additional illling and strengthening hlm.

Referring to the drawing, a road 20 has applied eiiiciency of the pigmented paint have resulted in the selection of binders which have an amnity for the material of the auto-collimating units, thereby effecting a climbing up about or a cupping of the units by the binder.

This thickness of the iilms which climb up about the auto-collimating units is but little and is readily broken off by traillc.

In the laying or" the marker in accordance with the invention, a reilecting binder 23 is appliedk to the road surface or other surface to be marked and while the binder is in a wet or semi-wet condition, the autocollimating units 2t, which may be glass spheres or other units such as specified in the Gill .Patent No. 1,902,440, are incorporated therein by a dispensing machine or by hand in a manner to effect either a chance distribution or a distribution in accordance with a predetermined plan as desired. When the refleeting binder 23 has dried, a section of the l marker may appear as illustrated in Fig. 3, each of the units 24 being held in place by the gripping portions 25 in between which the binder 23 has shrunk to its dry nlm thickness 2B, leaving the gripping portions 25 relatively weak and unsupported though contacting the auto-collimating units over a relatively large area.

A clear filler 21 is then applied t0 the dry section illustrated lin Fig. 3 to iill the cavities therein, which filler may have little or no affinity for the auto-collimating units 25 but more or less marked ailinity for the binder 23, whereby a relativelystrong composite binder 23, 21, is effected. The reectingbinder 23 is preferably of a nature corresponding to that taught in copending application Serial Number 274,666 and the ller 21 which may be clear or relatively clear may have a formula similar to that of the binder 23, or the same formula as the binder 23 minus pigment. While the reilecting binder may have a greater difference in thickness 4between its wet lm and dry film due to dissipation of .the vehicle in which the pigment is suspended, the illier 21 which may be clear, sans pigment, may have substantially Ythe same thickness under-wet and dry conditions as determined by the formula selected Vin accordance with the teachings in copending application Serial Number 274,666.

A reecting marker laid in accordance with the above process is inherently strong, capable of long life, and because of the utilization of a minimum of pigment, its cost is relatively low.

It is to be understood that it is within the scope of the invention to fahicate vertical markers lsuch as the sign 22 as Weib as horizontal markers such as the center or lane line 2l and that the auto-collimating units may be graduated in size from say 0.005 to 0.040 inch in diameter.

. said surface, a plurality of autocollimating units ranging in size from .005 to .040 at least partially embedded in said binder and partially exposed With the binder gripping said 'units in cuplike formation and having valleys between said cup-like formations, and a protecting fllm extending over said binder in said valleys and to a height approximating' the height omc@- like formations,whereby said surface marker will have the properties of great durability and resistance to traicshcck.

2. A combined \surface marker comprising a road surface, a reflecting pigmented binder on said surface, a plurality of relatively small autoi collimating units partially` embedded in said binder and partially exposed-with the binder gripping each of said units in upwardly extend-- ing wall formations and said binder having valleys on its upper surface between said upwardly extending wall formations, and a protecting lm extending over said binder in said valleys'and to a height approximately the height of said up` i wardly extending wall formations, whereby said surface marker will have the'properties of great durability and resistance to shock.

GILBERT RODLI. LEROY SI-IUGER. 

